


Clown Costume

by noaoats



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gen, Kwami Swap, Lady Noir - Freeform, Mister Bug, Reflekdoll, alya messed up y'all, and also i wanted marinette to not be blamed for everything, i really wanted him to realize how tough ladybug's job was, reflekdoll but adrien actually learns his lesson, reflekdoll was good but i didn't feel like it quite drove home the message for adrien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-09 22:58:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20517842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noaoats/pseuds/noaoats
Summary: Reflekdoll fix-it fic.  Adrien actually learns his lesson.Marinette struggles with puns.





	Clown Costume

**Author's Note:**

> i finished reflekdoll and immediately spent the next few hours cranking this out. apologies for any typos/grammatical errors!
> 
> things i wanted:  
1\. to really highlight how chat goofs off too much  
2\. for adrien to realize how serious being ladybug is  
3\. for ladybug to goof off
> 
> things i wrote:  
1\. this

Chat Noir tried not to grin as he left the scene of the akuma battle, but he was finding it difficult. They had been fighting Mr. Pigeon _yet again _so of course he had tried to find a bit of fun in it. It had only been a small prank, but Ladybug had immediately chewed him out for almost ruining her Lucky Charm. Luckily a crowd had gathered and she had stopped, but even as they left the battle he could feel her anger. He still thought it had been funny.

“I don’t call the shots, my lady,” he said, barely able to hold in his laughter at her pout. “_You’re _the superhero who captures evil akumas. I’m just the cunning, ultra-funny Chat Noir.”

She stopped on a roof a few blocks from the battle and just glared at him. He followed her lead and landed as well, leaning on his baton to smirk down at her. Their ever-growing height difference always made him feel a little smug.

“Right,” she agreed sarcastically, placing a hand on her hip. “You have it easy.”

“Easy? That’s ‘cause I make it _look _easy.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “As cunning as you might be, that little ‘prank’ you pulled earlier almost made my Lucky Charm fail. That wasn’t cool, Chat. This isn’t a game.”

Chat rolled his eyes. “Do you know why Master Fu gave you the Ladybug Miraculous instead of me?” he asked.

“Uh, ‘cause it requires someone with a sense of responsibility?”

“No. Because _you _don’t have a sense of humor.” He raised his hand to stop her as she opened her mouth to retaliate. “Obviously I take this job seriously, my lady, but come on. You have to lighten up a little bit. I mean, we have super powers! This is every kid’s dream! We should enjoy using them.”

Her eyes narrowed. “This isn’t supposed to be fun, Chat. Don’t you get how serious this is? We are responsible for Paris. We can’t be goofing off while others’ lives are in danger.”

“Danger? He has powers over pigeons.”

“You know what I mean,” she snapped. When he failed to concede her point, she turned away. “Whatever.”

Chat Noir leaned forward to kiss her hand as usual, but she snatched it away. He paused. Was she actually upset? “Look, it’s no big deal. You have so many other great qualities. _I’m _just in charge of the humor department.” He winked at her.

Ladybug finally turned back to face him after his ring beeped. Her small smile looked tired and forced, but he couldn’t understand why. She gestured to his ring. “Well? You better get going before you lose your clown costume. Patrol later?”

He nodded and bowed deeply, trying to lighten the mood. “Miss you already, Buggaboo.” His baton lifted him away from the roof and to a nearby building before she could begin protesting the nickname like he knew she would. “See?” he called, laughing as he interrupted her rant. “I was right!”

-

School was a welcome distraction after such an early morning akuma. Adrien still felt weird about his interaction with Ladybug, but Plagg hadn’t offered any helpful insight when he asked him about it after de-transforming. Chat Noir always joked around with Ladybug during akuma battles. That was part of who he was. He knew she could be a bit uptight about it, but he didn’t understand why she had gotten so angry at him that morning. It was just a stupid prank, and they had still easily saved the day. Maybe she just hated pigeons.

Nino had kept his mind off of it for most of the morning, and as they left class together he enjoyed the chance to complain about homework like regular students. Their conversation quickly cut off, however, as Alya jumped in. “Hey Adrien! I was wondering if you could help us out with a fashion shoot.” She gestured toward Marinette, who looked upset about something.

Adrien was caught off-guard by the request but thrilled. He was never asked about fashion outside of his modeling job, and he had always secretly hoped to collaborate with Marinette for some of her design work. She was so shy around him that he never asked, but obviously there was something big happening based on how nervous she looked. “I’d love to, Alya, but I have to get home, or else my father…”

“I know,” she said eagerly, as if she had expected his response. “But you were supposed to be in Mendeleiev’s class today, right? And since she’s not here, you _technically _don’t have to be home for another hour. Your dad won’t know any different!”

Nino laughed and elbowed him. “She’s got a point, dude. It’s not like there’s anything to do here, anyway.”

“Oh… okay then!” He had snuck out as Chat Noir countless times, but he had never shirked his schedule as Adrien. It was exciting, especially since he would be breaking the rules to help his friends. “What do you need?”

He followed Alya back over to Marinette, who yelped once she saw them. Her face was red and she was stuttering like she usually did when she was nervous. He offered a reassuring smile. Whatever they needed help with must be big. “Adrien, hi! Hello! You’re nice to see. I MEAN, nice to see you!”

“You too,” he laughed. “So what exactly is this project?”

-

Adrien leaned back, revelling in this director-like position. He had always been the model but never in charge of the show, and he _loved _this. “Alya, could you shine the light a bit more on Juleka’s shoulders, please? I want her to stand out.”

Alix happily moved a screen aside to allow for better light flow, but Adrien’s focus stayed on Juleka. His classmate was normally very shy, and he had learned the hard way about her issues with being photographed during their last class pictures. She looked pale and shaky, and her hands were clenched tightly by her side. He bit his lip but didn’t say anything. He remembered how nervous he had been during his first photoshoot, and he knew that pointing it out never helped. All he could do was to try and make the experience as comfortable as possible.

Alix gave him a thumbs up, and he turned to find Marinette still sifting through some of her jewelry. “Does that work for you, Marinette?” He didn’t want to make any major adjustments without her approval. She was the designer and website owner, after all.

She smiled widely and nodded. “Yes! Sure! You’re perfect. I MEAN, it’s perfect?” She held up some of the earring options, and he pointed toward the one in her right hand.

“This one. It’ll compliment her suit really well.”

His friend’s smile grew. “I thought the same thing, Madrien! Uh, Adrien!”

He returned the earring so that she could make her final decisions, but Alya’s voice distracted him. She was drawing attention to Juleka and he cringed. That wouldn’t end well.

“How about a little smile for the camera, Juleka?”

Juleka seemed to grow even more pale, and he could see her starting to hyperventilate. She was muttering something under her breath but Adrien couldn’t make it out.

Marinette seemed to catch onto to the issue and rushed forward. “Is something wrong? You know, it was really cool of you to agree to be my model, but I can tell you’re feeling uncomfortable. Would you like to take a break?”

Alya surprised him again. “Decide fast, ‘cause we only have an hour before Adrien’s father has to make him leave.”

Did she not see how uncomfortable Juleka was? Adrien wasn’t even modeling; he didn’t need to be at the set. He cut in before things could get worse.

“Oh, that’s okay!” he said. At this point Juleka looked like she was on the edge of an anxiety attack. “Maybe we could do it again some other day, if my father lets me.”

Marinette nodded at the idea and sent him a grateful smile. “Would you prefer that, Juleka? Or would you like to have someone stand in for you?” The taller girl was still panting. Adrien knew she wouldn’t be able to still model, at least not this afternoon, and Marinette seemed to be on the same page. She squeezed Juleka’s shoulders. “This is probably something I should do myself, actually. These are my designs, and-”

“Of course!” Alya interrupted. “Awesome idea, Marinette!” She grabbed her best friend and pushed him in Adrien’s direction, startling both of them. “The coolest thing about your designs is that they are essentially unisex! And we have a guy here who literally models clothes for a living- what do you say, Adrien? You and Marinette should model the designs! You in?”

Juleka still looked like a nervous wreck, but he didn’t want to make the situation worse by pulling her back into the conversation. He did feel bad for taking over the set, though. “Uh… if it helps?”

Marinette also seemed uncomfortable, but he found himself shoved behind a dressing screen before they could discuss the situation further. He reluctantly pulled on the clothes he had been offered- somehow Marinette had correctly guessed his exact size. There was a small mirror behind the screen and he marvelled at his reflection after getting dressed. Marinette really did have a knack for design work.

Then he noticed the jewelry he had been offered. Of course it had to include a ring. He hesitated before grabbing it. He didn’t want to take off his Miraculous, but he also didn’t want to let his friends down.

As if Plagg could sense his actions, he angrily popped out of Adrien’s bag. “I hope you’re kidding,” he said, crossing his tiny black arms. “Are you seriously going to risk taking off your Miraculous for a dumb photo shoot?”

“It won’t be for long, Plagg,” Adrien reassured. He slipped his ring off and placed it in his bag. He felt almost naked without it, but he pushed the feelings of discomfort down. “Besides, you’ll be nearby.”

Adrien nudged Plagg back into the bag before leaving the screen. The girls all gasped at him and Marinette wearing matching sets, taking pictures on their phones and giggling to themselves. The outfit looked just as good on her as it did on him. She looked a bit sick, though, and the girls noticed as well. They quickly decided to move things outside, and he barely stayed on his feet as Mylene dragged him out of the room.

He hadn’t really hung out with the girls in his class before, but he was having a lot of fun with their energy. He also appreciated when they paused to check in on Juleka before leaving. She still seemed upset, but Rose confirmed that she would be fine, and Rose knew her girlfriend better than anyone. The small blonde smiled at him on their way out. “Don’t worry, Adrien. She’d let me know if she wanted help.”

-

He still couldn’t believe they had managed to convince the Gorilla to drive them. Normally he and Nino would have to bribe the large man to let Adrien break the rules, but the girls just said “please” and he had agreed to drive them. He wasn’t sure what their secret was, but he was determined to find out.

Adrien had taken a break from modeling with Marinette and was planning on asking his friends about the Gorilla when heavy footsteps caught his attention. The entire group looked up to see a giant doll grinning down at them. Juleka’s voice boomed out from its mouth. Its eyes lit up and released some sort of beam, and he quickly shoved Marinette away to avoid it. They rolled in opposite directions, and he used his momentum to sprint to a pillar nearby to get out of the doll’s view.

His friends caught in the beam turned into mirror images of Reflekta. “Oh snap,” he murmured, watching as the doll started stalking after Rose. “It’s Juleka again, but there must be another akuma creating the doll. Luckily I know the perfect heroes to deal with this.” He threw his hand out and closed his eyes. “Plagg, transform me!”

Nothing happened.

He cracked one eye open to look down at his hand, paling as he saw Marinette’s ring on his finger rather than the Miraculous. “Uh oh.” Kneeling down, Adrien peered around the pillar on the other side. The Gorilla’s car was parked just a few meters away. His bag- and Plagg- were in the trunk. He just needed to get to the car without being hit.

There was a break in Reflekta’s blasts, and he used the brief lull to sprint for it. He was almost hit a few times but eventually made it to the car and slid around to the other side. It could serve as a barrier between him and the giant doll while he searched for Plagg.

A squeak to his left surprised him, and he realized Marinette was hiding there as well, her eyes wide. He froze. He needed to get in the trunk without being noticed, but he didn’t want his friend to get hit, either. “Hide in the car!” he whispered.

She looked concerned. “What about you?”

“_Marinette! You stole my limelight!_” 

Reflekta began screaming at Marinette, and he regretfully used the distraction to inch closer to the trunk. He heard her get hit by a blast and jumped out of hiding to yank at the trunk door. It wouldn’t open! He desperately reached around to see if there was a button, but the car suddenly pulled away from him. The doll had grabbed the vehicle and was rearing back to throw.

Adrien shoved off the pavement and raced away, but a beam hit him regardless and sent him rolling. He tumbled across the street as a warmth washed over his body. Looking down, he saw a familiar pink outfit. He groaned.

“Of course.”

Reflekta had taken off after Rose again. It took Adrien a moment to find where she had thrown the car, but once he did, he quickly ran to the busted trunk. “Plagg?” Bags and clothes were strewn about everywhere, and he frantically began digging. “Plagg!”

There was laughter from above him, and he almost dropped what he was holding as he saw a lithe black figure dart across the roof near him. They had glowing green eyes and hair that flew behind them like a tail, along with a familiar baton. It looked almost like him, except… _Was that…?_

The floating red creature suddenly before him broke his focus, and he lost sight of the person on the roof. It had to be a kwami judging by her size. She had black dots over her face, little antennae, and a tiny tail that wiggled behind her. Adrien’s heart seized. She was _adorable_. “You are Chat Noir, correct?” Even her voice was cute.

He nodded. She had to be Ladybug’s kwami. Ladybug had rambled on about how much she loved her kwami too many times for him not to realize that it was Tikki. Her eyes drifted to the rooftops as well. They both watched as the person came back into view further away from them, jumping down to the street to battle the giant doll. “Does that mean… is that _Ladybug?_”

Tikki looked stressed. “Yes, there’s… There’s been a bit of a mix-up with the Miraculous. I’m Tikki, it’s nice to meet you!”

“I’m Adrien, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well. Ladybug has told me a lot about you.” He shook her tiny hand with two of his fingers. “You’re way more polite than Plagg is.”

She giggled and happily handed him the earrings she had been carrying. “Please tell him that later. His ego is too big, but if his chosen compliments me he’ll have to listen.”

“Will do.” He put the earrings in place. He was suddenly excited. Ladybug excelled at her role and he could never hope to live up to her standards, but now he was being given a chance to try it out. After the conversation they had had that morning, this was perfect timing. He was going to make sure he had _fun _while he was Ladybug. Maybe he could show her how to enjoy being a superhero while saving the day. “Tikki, transform me!”

There was a familiar rush, but his hair remained unruffled and his fingers lacked their regular claws. “Whoah,” he breathed, looking down. The suit was a bit tighter and more thin than he was used to, and the bright red color hurt his eyes a bit. His senses also felt more dull than they usually did when he was transformed. On the other hand, he felt _powerful_. Grounded. Solid. “This is… interesting.”

A crash from the doll’s direction had him looking at the buildings surrounding him for easy pathways. The yo-yo was on his hip, and he hesitantly started swinging it in a circle. _You can do this. If she can do this, you can do this._ He threw the yo-yo at a chimney and tugged, expecting for it to go taut with resistance. Instead, the string yanked him off his feet and he went flying.

He screamed.

-

His partner was hiding on the roof of a flower shop near the monster, muttering to herself. “Reflekta, but it’s a doll. Reflekdoll? Papillon’s a doll for sending us something like this. Ugh, that was bad. How does he do this?”

“Was that a _pun_?”

Ladybug spun with her baton raised, but her grip loosened as she realized it was him. It took Adrien a moment to really see that it was Ladybug. Her hair was darker than usual and twisted in a braid down her back. Her suit was black and green and similar to his usual one. The most shocking part was her eyes, though- they were bright green and glowing. Did his eyes always look that unnatural? He missed her eyes looking like the sky.

She took a moment to stare at him in awe, then threw her hands down. “Not fair. How did you get those black parts?”

“I- what?”

“Those black parts on your sides and legs and stuff! I’ve been asking Tikki for ages to change my design up, that’s so not fair. Your design is way cooler than mine. How did you convince her to change it?”

“I didn’t,” he said slowly, still looking over her costume. It was just the love of his life in an adorable cat costume, no big deal. “I just transformed and this is what I look like. And you… your hair-”

“Yeah, it’s weird having it so long. And so dark. But I’d rather have this long braid than a belt tail, if I’m being honest.” She clicked her baton into her belt, grinning. “Also- do you always feel this great when you’re transformed? I feel… lighter. Like I could run a million kilometers and never run out of energy. It’s amazing.”

He tilted his head and smiled. “Yeah. I never realized it before but our Miraculous affect us in different ways. For example, _I _am ready to cast Lucky Charm and save the day as fast as possible, just to show off how smart I am, Ms. Clown Costume. I didn’t forget our conversation earlier. Have fun playing the easy part.”

“Oh, I will. But don’t forget that we’re fighting two enemies today- and we don’t have our usual powers. We need to be careful.”

As if to prove her point, Reflekdoll’s beam hit just to their left and slowly slid in their direction. He felt Ladybug grab him around the waist before lifting them with her baton over to another building. After shoving him behind a billboard, she poked her head out to get a better view of their opponent. “You need to stay focused, Mister Bug. You can use your yo-yo as a shield.”

“_Mister Bug?_”

She winked at him. “Not liking your nickname, Buggaboy?”

He could only stare at her, jaw on the ground. Was she… flirting with him? What was happening? He shook his head and snapped his yo-yo in his hand. “Alright. I’ve only seen you do this a million times, it’s not like it’s difficult to swing a toy.” He tried to loop it in the air in a small circle. It spun a few times before smacking him in the forehead, making Ladybug giggle. “Okay, ow. I can get the hang of this; I just need a bit more time. Of course there would be two akumas to catch while we’re stuck like this.”

“No,” she interjected. “Not two akumas. One akuma and one amuk. Reflekta’s been re-akumatized by Papillon, but the doll is a Sentimonster created by the holder of the Peacock Miraculous. If we can- _Chat, look out!_”

He jumped just in time as the billboard was knocked aside by a large doll hand. Mister Bug- he had to admit, he kind of liked the name- flipped down to the street and rolled back to his feet, already running as Reflekdoll turned to shoot at him. Ladybug had sprinted off somewhere else; he just needed to distract the monster long enough for her to come up with a plan.

He purposely led the Sentimonster away from where civilians were gathering and closer to the Eiffel Tower. Most Parisians knew to avoid the tower during akuma battles since it was such a hot spot, and he was grateful that the crowds grew thinner as he neared the famous landmark. He wished he could come up with some sort of pun to throw at the doll as it stomped after him but he was too busy dodging attacks, his brain focusing on the battle.

The doll started blasting again. He pulled out his yo-yo to try using it as a shield, but something slammed into his side and sent him rolling behind a store. He grunted as he came to a stop. Looking down, he saw his partner frowning at him, her eyes still an unnatural shade of green. “That was a little unnecessary,” he said, standing up from his position kneeling over her. “I was doing fine. I was just distracting her for you like usual.” Ladybug took the hand he offered and rose to her feet as well.

“You have the Miraculous Cure, Bug,” she explained. “You can’t be as reckless as usual- you have to be able to cure the akuma and fix everything. You need to keep yourself safe, not be the distraction. That’s my job this time.” They both peered around the building to see the doll angrily stepping on Ladybug’s baton. They both knew it wouldn’t break, but she would definitely need to get that weapon back. “All I did was poke her in the eye with it, geez.”

“Right. Okay, so we need to find Reflekta’s akumatized object and the Sentimonster’s amuk. And we need to keep the doll away from civilians. And I can’t get hit. No sweat, this will be easy. _And _I’ll keep my sense of humor.”

There was that forced smile again. “Uh huh. Can you manage, or should we switch back?”

Mister Bug was a bit offended at her question. Didn’t she trust him? “Come on, I’m totally capable of doing it. I just need to use my Lucky-”

“No wait!” She snatched his wrist out of the air, cutting him off as he called for his power. He stared down at her.

“Why’d you do that?”

“Because it’s too early! You don’t know enough about your opponent yet!”

He rolled his eyes. “Listen, Lady Noir, you might think you’re the smarty pants in this partnership but I’m not an idiot. For example, I’m pretty sure Reflekta is the one actually controlling the doll from the inside. If we can just get in there, we can stop her, easy peasy.” He leaned closer. “And _you_ finally have the ‘easy’ part. Lighten up some and let me do my thing, yeah? Let’s go!”

He heard her yell after him, but he spun around the corner anyway and raced back toward the Sentimonster. If his partner wanted to scold him more, she’d have to do it in battle.

-

Mister Bug could almost reach the doll’s mouth before being knocked off this time. He avoided its beam and swung away to a nearby roof. That was the fourth time he had failed to climb the head, and he was getting frustrated.

Lady Noir was still on the ground distracting the doll, teasing the Sentimonster with terrible puns as she tried to weaken its defense. Despite his frustration at how she was still treating him, he smiled as she paused to laugh at her own joke. It was nice to see her loosening up, even if her puns were horrible.

He needed to focus. Peering closer, he could barely make out Reflekta’s shape behind the doll’s eyelids. Since her powers were essentially the same as when she was first akumatized, the akumatized object was likely the same as well. And he knew Juleka was wearing her bracelet earlier. If he could just get inside that space, he could take out the akuma. The Sentimonster would likely be easy game after that. 

“Lady Noir!” he called. His partner looked up at him and saw him motioning toward the Eiffel Tower. She nodded and took off in its direction.

He swung to a spot near the top and found a small platform that couldn’t be shot at from the ground. The metal shook beneath him as the doll collided with the tower, but a few moments later Lady Noir scampered over the edge of the platform. She was out of breath and grinning. “You were right, your job is so fun! I could do that all day. And turns out, I’m really funny.”

He tried not to snort. “Yeah, yeah. You need to work on your pun game. Anyway, I think I know what to do. The akuma is probably in the same place as the first time we fought her- in her bracelet. I just need to get in the doll’s head and break it.”

She hesitated. “I mean, maybe, but we keep failing at getting inside. We’re going to have to make sure that the akuma isn’t somewhere on the doll first since we can’t actually see her. It’s dangerous to get near the doll’s face unless we’re sure.”

“If only I could get my hands on a mirror, then I could reflect her own beam back at her!”

“That’s-” Lady Noir began to look frustrated again. “That’s not how it works, Chat. Bug. Sorry, this is weird.” She crossed her arms. “The Lucky Charm doesn’t just _give _you want you want. You’ve seen me have to puzzle through it hundreds of times now. It’s always some sort of complex solution. You shouldn’t call Lucky Charm until we have a better idea of what to do; you’ll only make us rushed for time.”

He shook his head and grinned. “We’ll see about that. Watch and learn, bitty kitty.” He ignored her scoff at the nickname and called for Lucky Charm. It was exhilarating using Ladybug’s famous power, and his grin only grew wider as the item fell into his outstretched hands.

It was a giant mirror.

Lady Noir had never looked so betrayed. He laughed as she flailed her hands around before angrily looking in the other direction. “Beginner’s luck,” she huffed.

“You’re just jealous of my mastery over _your _Miraculous, that’s all.”

They both stumbled as the tower shifted beneath them. He looked over the edge to see that the Sentimonster had begun climbing the Eiffel Tower, and it was beginning to tilt as she got higher and hung off of it. Reflekta was now visible, shooting at them from her bracelet rather than the doll’s eyes. He smirked at Lady Noir before raising the mirror to reflect her powers. One beam hit it perfectly and rounded back to strike Reflekta.

Instead of stopping her, though, Reflekta just shook her head and began firing from the Sentimonster instead. He quickly jumped back to avoid getting hit. What? Why hadn’t that worked? Lady Noir crouched next to him and sighed. “Very effective, Mister Bug.”

The disappointment in her tone made him more uneasy. “But I thought-”

“May I remind you that the Lucky Charm doesn’t just _give _you an object to defeat the villain with? You actually have to figure out exactly how to use it to win the battle, _using your head_.” To emphasize her point, she tapped him on the head with her baton. He winced, rubbing the spot.

A giant hand wrapped around the edge of the platform and he found himself shoved behind his partner as she began defending them with her baton. The doll looked mad now, and it pulled closer to bear down on them. Lady Noir grunted and leaned into him. “Now that you’ve used up your Lucky Charm, you’ve only got a few minutes left before you transform back, Buggaboy. Better come up with a plan, quick.”

He was already thrown off by the failed Lucky Charm, but her teasing struck a nerve. “Well why don’t you try helping me instead of making fun of me? This isn’t a game!”

The Sentimonster reared back and they leapt in opposite directions to confuse it. He quickly began swinging higher up the tower to stay out of its reach, and he assumed Lady Noir was doing the same. Instead of her usual grounded response, she only laughed. “Looks like you lost your sense of humor.”

Mister Bug couldn’t believe his ears. He was on the verge of panicking and his partner didn’t seem to care. The _beep _from his earrings made his anxiety spike further. “Are you seriously trying to joke around at a time like this? The Lucky Charm didn’t work! We need to come up with a plan before I de-transform!”

“What do you think I’ve been telling you this whole time?” she called back. He had found a small hiding spot by then, and it took him a moment to find her. She was on the other side of the tower, jumping from beam to beam as the Sentimonster angrily followed. “Luckily, the humor department is still running. I’m the cunning, funny, and ultra-charming Lady Noir! I finally get why you’re always so happy- you’re right, your job is easy! Watch and learn, Bug Boy.”

It was strange watching her call on Cataclysm. While he knew the power stemmed from Plagg, it also felt personal since being Chat Noir was such a large part of his identity. It was almost like watching himself from an outside perspective as her hand swirled with dark energy and slammed into the face of the Sentimonster. The doll began to crumble beneath her as they fell to the ground, and he used his yo-yo to keep up as they plummeted.

Lady Noir was standing triumphantly over the Sentimonster when he landed, hands on her hips. She flicked her braid over one shoulder as she spotted him and jumped down. “Look who saved the day with someone else’s powers. Maybe you should be jealous of _my _mastery over _your _Miraculous.”

He chuckled, releasing a tense breath. If he was being honest, the failed Lucky Charm had really shocked him. He knew Ladybug had to think on her feet, but not having his plan work had caught him off-guard. It was relieving to know she still had his back.

The small victory was cut short by the Sentimonster, unexpectedly still functioning. It awkwardly climbed back to its feet. Its head was spinning and smoking, and inside he could hear Reflekta panicking. Lady Noir gasped. “No way. Shouldn’t that have destroyed it?”

Mister Bug was just as confused. “I’ve never used Cataclysm on a Sentimonster before. I have no idea what it’s supposed to do.”

“Move!”

She yanked on his arm and pulled him toward the side of the clearing they were in, avoiding a large blast from the Sentimonster as it began to scream. He gratefully followed, starting to feel overwhelmed. If Cataclysm didn’t stop it, what would? They dodged more energy beams and he tightened his grip on his partner’s hand. This was bad. The Lucky Charm hadn’t worked. Cataclysm hadn’t worked. They were running out of options.

“Chat.” He realized that she had pulled him into an ally between two buildings. The doll was still shrieking behind them, but they were safe for the moment. Her green eyes were bearing into his, but all he could think about was how wrong they were. Her eyes were blue. “Chat, breathe. Come on, breathe with me.” 

Her hand rested on his chest, and he took a few deep breaths along with her. 

“Good. You’re going to be fine, okay? You’re going to de-transform soon; you need to stay here and recharge your kwami. I’ll distract the Sentimonster and see if I can figure out how to take it down. Can you recharge here and try to come up with a plan? Two heads are better than one.”

He nodded. She really was too good for him.

“Alright. I’ll see you soon, chaton.”

The second she left the ally he felt his transformation fall. Tikki spun into his hands, groaning in exhaustion. His legs felt shaky but he refused to sit down. Not while his lady was still fighting. He pulled a piece of cheese out from his shirt pocket. “I’m sorry, but this is all I have. Will it do?”

Tikki smiled at him. “That would be perfect, Adrien. So what are you thinking?”

“I don’t know. The Lucky Charm was exactly what I asked for, but Ladybug said it’s something I’m supposed to figure out. I think I rushed into fighting the Sentimonster too quickly. There’s something I’m missing. This time I’ll make sure I’m prepared before using my power.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.”

The tiny god’s validation meant everything to him, but a sudden scream from the clearing made them both freeze. That sounded like Ladybug. “Tikki, transform me!”

The second he was back in the suit he bounded up to the roof to get a better view. The Sentimonster was still rampaging, but Reflekta was outside of the doll somehow. She was near the tower leaning over a limp figure, and he felt nauseous as he realized it was Lady Noir. She must have been knocked into the beams and passed out.

He ignored the doll and raced toward his partner, sliding on his knees next to her unconscious form. She rolled easily into his lap, and he panicked as he spotted blood at her hairline. Shaking her shoulders didn’t wake her up like he hoped it would. He turned to Reflekta. “What happened?”

“She saved me from the messed up doll, but it hit her right after. Doesn’t matter,” she paused to aim her bracelet at him. “Soon you’ll only feel my pain.”

“No!” He snapped his yo-yo at the bracelet on her wrist without thinking. They both seemed shocked at his quick reflexes, and he barely remembered to catch the akuma as it fluttered away. Reflekta’s suit swarmed with red energy once he released it and she collapsed onto her knees, fully Juleka again.

“Ladybug?” she asked, rubbing her head. Then she saw him. “No. You’re- who are you?”

He didn’t have a response. He couldn’t take his eyes off Lady Noir and her beeping ring. The Sentimonster would notice him at any second. His partner was about to de-transform. He still hadn’t figured out what his Lucky Charm was supposed to do yet. How did Ladybug always figure this stuff out?

Juleka calmly reached out to touch his shoulder, and he jerked. Her kind eyes calmed him. Juleka was a friend. He could trust her. “I’m… uh, Chat Noir. It’s a long story.” He lifted Lady Noir in his arms and rose to his feet. “Could you take her somewhere safe and private, please? She’s about to de-transform.”

Juleka still seemed confused, but she nodded and let him pass her Lady Noir. She grunted at the weight, but nodded. “I’ve got her. I’ll find you after. Go.”

Mister Bug would have rather done anything than leave his partner, but the doll had finally noticed them. He ran in the other direction of the clearing to draw its fire. Juleka quickly left the area, leaving him one less problem to worry about.

“Okay, Bug,” he whispered to himself. “You’ve got this. Lucky Charm!”

Once again, the giant mirror fell into his hands. He had been hoping he might get a different, more obvious item, but this felt right. The Sentimonster’s eyes were spinning still, and it tilted wildly as it got closer. Cataclysm hadn’t destroyed the doll, but it had definitely messed it up. He darted between its legs to avoid getting stepped on.

The back of the Sentimonster looked just as impenetrable as the front. It was solid metal, only instead of a face on the head there was a small round slot. He cursed. If only the Lucky Charm had been a giant screwdriver. It’s not like he kept a toolbox on him, or even any change since he could use a coin to-

_Wait_. The Lucky Charm burned red in his mind, as did the spot on the doll. _OH._

Mister Bug quickly scampered up the back and jammed the giant mirror in the slot. It fit perfectly. The Sentimonster screeched and started spinning again, but he held on and twisted the mirror as fast as possible. A round section in the doll’s head soon twisted and fell off.

Inside was a giant hair clip being used as a stick-shift. “Gotcha.” The yo-yo swung out again to crack the clip, and a dark blue feather fell out. He caught it in his weapon and released it after it was purified. The doll began to disintegrate beneath him so he leaped back down to the ground. He wanted to be on his own two feet for the part he was most excited about.

“Miraculous Mister Bug!” he called, throwing the mirror into the air. A wave of red ladybugs washed over the area and fixed all of the damage the Sentimonster had caused. He watched in awe as buildings were righted and pink individuals turned back into themselves. HE had done that! Ladybug’s job was stressful, but she definitely had the most rewarding part at the end of each battle.

Speaking of, he needed to check that the cure had helped her. He spotted Juleka waving at him from the edge of the clearing, and he jogged over. “Thank you again for saving me, Mister Bug. Er, Chat Noir.” She sighed. “This is confusing. Anyway, she’s fine, this coffee shop had evacuated so I put her in here. She transformed again after you fixed everything- I think she’s on the roof.”

“Thank you so much, Juleka. You really helped us save the day.” He smiled. “You know, I’m sure your friends would love to help you like how you helped us. You just have to be willing to ask them.”

She blushed fiercely. “I, uh… it’s… hard. To ask for help.”

“I have trouble asking for help, too. But friends can’t help you when they don’t know there’s a problem, right?”

“Yeah… you’re right. I’m going to go find my friends now. Thank you.”

He double checked that she was alright before waving her off. He knew the other girls would understand. Alya hadn’t been fair when she pressured Juleka like that, and he hoped she would apologize once their friend returned. He needed to be returning as well, but he still needed to see his partner first and swap Miraculous stones.

The second his feet touched the roof he was enveloped in a tight hug. Mister Bug laughed and squeezed back, rubbing his cheek in his friend’s hair. He knew the cure would fix everything, but he would never feel completely right until he could see with his own two eyes that she was okay. She eventually leaned back to look up and grin at him. “You did it!”

“I did!” His earrings beeped. “And now I need to de-transform!”

“Oh!” She pulled him over to a large chimney that took over a large part of the roof. “You sit on one side and I’ll sit on the other, okay? We can de-transform and switch our kwamis. I want to talk.”

His heart sank a bit at that, but he still walked over to his designated spot. He knew he had goofed up at being Mister Bug. Having her scold him felt unnecessary at that point, but he knew there was no getting around it. Sighing, he slid down the chimney and leaned his head back against it. “Tikki, de-transform me.”

Lady Noir uttered something similar on the other side, but he was distracted by the cheerful kwami suddenly rubbing her nose against his. It made him laugh. “Oh, Chat Noir! You did such a good job today, I’m so proud of you!”

“Really?”

She nodded. “You are perfect as Plagg’s chosen, but I think you you would have made a pretty good Ladybug, too. You purified the akuma and the amuk, and you put everything back to normal. It was amazing.”

“Thanks.” He shrugged. “I could have done it a lot better if I had taken it seriously from the start, though. I’m sorry for being an idiot.”

Tikki buzzed loudly and startled him. “You are _not _an idiot, Chat. Do you remember Ladybug being perfect while you all fought Stone Heart? Of course not. To me, being a perfect Ladybug means being a Ladybug who learns. And you learned something today, so you were perfect. Do you understand?”

His chest felt warm, and Adrien tried to blink back the sudden tears in his eyes. If Tikki noticed she was kind enough not to draw attention to it. “Um, yeah. I do. Thank you, Tikki.”

She gave him one last nose bump before taking the earrings from him and flying around to the other side of the chimney. Ladybug laughed excitedly at seeing her. “_Tikki!_”

As if on cue, a small black shape phased through the chimney above him and dropped his ring on his head. “Ow, Plagg!” Adrien slid it on and then snatched his kwami out of the air, holding him close. “Don’t pretend you don’t love me because I know you do. I missed you, Plagg. I promise I won’t ever take the Miraculous off again.”

“Good. ‘Cause if you do I’m switching over to _blergh_.” Adrien frowned at the green bubbles that came out of his kwami’s mouth. “Sorry, Miraculous magic. I can’t say her name. Ladybug’s cool, that’s all. I like her.”

Ladybug’s voice grew louder. “I love you too, Plagg!”

“I never said _love_!”

Adrien laughed too, still holding the kwami close. “Now you know what I get to deal with. Tikki is an absolute delight.”

“She really is. And I bet she won’t stop talking about you all week.”

Ladybug giggled a bit more before awkwardly trailing off The air around him immediately felt tense. He fidgeted where he sat, anxious to have the conversation done with. “Listen, Ladybug-”

“I’m sorry I was selfish today.”

That was not what he was expecting. “You’re… what?”

She huffed. “I’m sorry that I was selfish, Chat. I… As Ladybug, I’m always responsible for fixing everything. Of course I can’t do it without your help, but at the end of the day, it’s _my _Miraculous that puts everything back in place. I can’t afford to joke around or have fun, because then it would be my fault if something goes wrong.”

“Bug…”

“But today I… I wasn’t in that position. I was still a superheroine, but I wasn’t ultimately responsible for everything. No matter what I did, someone else could make it better. And Chat, that was the most freeing thing I’ve ever felt. And instead of helping, I took advantage of that. You were struggling and I goofed off instead of being there with you. I was reckless, and it made me a liability. And then I got hurt and left you alone. I’m so sorry that I put you in that position.”

Adrien had no words. He was silent, but he knew that if he remained quiet for too long she would continue to blame herself. “You didn’t, though,” he started, clearing his throat. “If you hadn’t been there, I never would have been able to save the day. You kept me from getting hurt, you tried to warn me about my Lucky Charm, you somehow got Reflekta out of the Sentimonster? You… you were still Ladybug even though I was supposed to be. And I _still _didn’t take everything seriously until the Lucky Charm failed, and then you got hurt…” He swallowed. “Whenever I’ve messed up before, I never thought about how you could fix it. And today when I messed up, that was it. The stakes were so much higher. I’m sorry that I’ve never taken this as seriously as you do. I never considered how it might feel in your shoes. It’s a lot of responsibility, and I’m sure I’ve only made it harder.”

“No! You help, Chat, I could never do this without you.” There was a weird shuffling on her side and she cursed. “I really wish I could pace right now but you’ll see me. Anyway, Chat, you keep me from panicking. You distract the akuma while I try to strategize. I had fun today, but I was also so stressed from trying to look out for you, too. I mean, I always look out for you ‘cause we’re partners, but today was different. I was the shield. I liked knowing that it was _my _job to protect _you _for once. It isn’t fun to see your best friend get hurt.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” he whispered. Her scream was definitely going to haunt his nightmares later. “And I could probably be better about keeping myself safe. Like I said, I don’t take this job nearly as seriously as I need to. But… it was fun to see you joke around while transformed. I don’t normally see you loosen up unless we’re having a boring patrol.”

“Yeah… looks like we both learned a bit about each other,” she giggled. “I’m sorry that I said your job was easy. It’s not. It’s just as important as mine and just as difficult. They’re just different.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not an easy job. But don’t diminish your role. Our whole argument this morning was because I treated our jobs equally. They aren’t. You have a lot more responsibility than I do, and instead of trying to get you to slack off I should be more supportive. I promise to be more serious from now on.”

“... Please don’t stop the puns, though.”

Adrien laughed, sitting up. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“Nope! I didn’t say anything.”

“Did you just _ask _for me to pun? Can you say it again so I can record it on my phone?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” There was a _thump _as she jumped to her feet. “Anyway, I’m running extremely late for a thing with friends that I sprinted out of earlier. I need to get going. Are we okay?”

A pale hand reached around the chimney and he squeezed it. “We’re good.”

-

By the time Adrien caught back up with the girls, they looked like they had reconciled. Marinette was offering Juleka another chance to model and he was elated to see her accept. He would get to model with Juleka! He stepped forward to join them but a large hand held him back.

The Gorilla had found him. The large man shook his head, gesturing back to the now-restored car. Adrien slumped. His father would be waiting.

“Adrien?” Marinette had noticed him and stepped away from the other girls. Her eyes darted to the Gorilla and back. “Do you have any time left?”

The Gorilla shook his head again and Adrien frowned. How did the girls do this last time? “It’s important,” he stated, looking the man straight in the eyes. The Gorilla didn’t budge.

Then the girls came closer. “Please? _Please?_” they begged, blinking rapidly. Adrien didn’t think it would work, but the Gorilla relented and released Adrien’s shoulder. He gaped. How?

Marinette cheered and pulled him back into their group. “Come on! Let’s get you and Juleka set up!” And Adrien let himself be pulled along.

**Author's Note:**

> again, sorry for any errors! this was just a quick fix-it fic. no betas, we die like men
> 
> i'm also sorry if the names are confusing- i tried to make it more realistic for how adrien would refer to both of them. technically she is lady noir in the costume but he still knows that it's ladybug, and visa versa. i go back and forth on the nicknames and their usual names since that felt like how they would actually approach the situation.
> 
> ideally i'd also show marinette's POV and we'd get to see her completely goof off while adrien recharges/how she saves reflekta, but we'll see. if a lot of people really want that i might write a second part that's from her perspective. maybe we'll even learn what chat noir's terrible, awful prank was. :)
> 
> this was fun! i usually write from marinette's POV or go back and forth, it was a fun challenge to stay as adrien. i wished i could have included the godtier luka/juleka sibling interaction we were gifted, but alas.
> 
> also apologies for the weird gaps and ending! i tried to follow with the episode somewhat and some of the scenes are really short from adrien's POV.
> 
> i hope that you have an amazing day! if you'd like to be friends, find me on tumblr @noaoats :)


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